


Think Before You Act

by WeCanKlanceIfWeWantTo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (I tried not to go into to much detail on blood and such), A little pining?, F/F, Fluffy Ending, Implied Shaylura, It's pretty subtle tbh, M/M, Mild Angst, Set at some point in S4, The rating is for the bit of fighting and injury, minor injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 13:26:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13147659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeCanKlanceIfWeWantTo/pseuds/WeCanKlanceIfWeWantTo
Summary: Voltron has been fighting back hard against the Galra Empire with the help of the coalition and Blades of Marmora.  When they go back to the Balmera to make sure everything's okay, they learn of some troubling news and decide to check it out.





	Think Before You Act

The whole of Voltron was still shaking.  They had barely escaped losing their lives once again.  Fighting against an empire that had reigned for 10,000 years was not easy, even with the help of the Coalition and the Blades of Marmora.  The four teens, along with their not-quite fearless leader collapsed in the main room of the castle.  Coran came in a few moments later, looking over the exhausted paladins.

 

“Great work, guys.  This victory over the Galra should be useful, as it’s in the middle of one of their direct supply lines,” he said, trying to boost the spirits of the five people who could possibly save the universe.

 

“That’s great and all, but these constant battles are really taking it out of me,”  Pidge said, starting to remove the boots for her armor.  Lance and Hunk nodded in agreement, and even Shiro seemed to be losing steam as time wore on.  Just as they were all about to head off their separate ways to unwind, The Blades sent a comm link.  Allura stood up, composed herself and accepted it.

 

“Hello, paladins,” Kolivan said, his blunt voice filling the speakers in the room.  “The battle you have won today will wound Zarkon, but our ships are low on power now.   Our Balmeran allies have been suspiciously silent as well, so this should serve as both reconnaissance and supply gathering.  I will be sending a small crew to aid you, and they should be there within 3 vargas.  Best of luck on your mission,” he said, before closing the link and letting silence fall once more.

 

Allura stood from her position to walk to the castle controls, looking as tired as the rest of them felt.  “I know it would be wonderful to relax, even if only for a little while, but the Balmerans need our help once more,” she said as if she was trying to convince herself as well as the others.

 

“Allura is right.  It’s our job to help those who have fallen under the Galra’s reign.  If there’s even a chance that the Galra Empire has re-conquered that Balmera, we have to help them,” Shiro agreed, launching into one of his pep talks.  The three remaining paladins felt stronger from the word of both the princess and their leader.  They re-checked their gear as Allura opened a wormhole, and in just a few ticks they were at the Balmera, whose people they had freed and defended what seemed like a thousand years ago.  It was still flourishing, so if the Galra were back, they hadn’t been for long.

 

The paladins and Coran waited for the Blade to show up before leaving the Castle of Lions, just in case they were ambushed.  When the small ship appeared, the five paladins headed off to their lions, while Coran stayed at the ship to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.  They landed on the Balmera, and Shay rushed out to greet them.  The moment she saw Allura, the young Balmeran rushed towards her, lifting her into the air and spinning her around.

 

“You guys are here!  I’ve missed you all so much,” Shay said, still holding on to Allura.  The princess’ smile faltered, and she turned to look at Shay.

 

“I wish our visit was merely for company love,” she said, keeping her fingers locked with Shay’s.  “We came to see if you were alright, for one thing.  It’s been silent on our end for quite some time.  Is everything okay?” Allura finishes, subtly checking over her girlfriend for any signs of physical harm.

 

“The only thing any of us have noticed is a ship that is always just off the planet.  The send down a crew of two or three every now and then.  We think they’re Galra soldiers that are slowly but surely taking the crystals,” Shay said, as the Blades Kolivan had sent approached, hoods and masks on.  The shortest of the five that were sent removed their mask, and Lance saw Keith’s face etched with worry.

 

“That could be Lotor and his generals.  We have to stop them,” he said, stepping forward.  “Where do they usually land, Shay?” Keith asked.

 

“Let me lead you there,” Shay replied, scanning the horizon.  Team Voltron and Blades of Marmora looked with her, occasionally glancing at each other.  After a few minutes, Shay started walking towards a cluster of jagged rocks that almost looked like mountains.  The Balmera was still flourishing, so whoever was taking crystals was being careful about it.

 

They eventually came to an area with only smaller crystals sprouting up here and there, instead of the somewhat larger ones they had all seen along the way.  “You can tell that they haven’t been here too recently, but that means they’re going to be here very soon,” Shay said, a worried expression crossing her face.  Allura gave the hand she was holding a reassuring squeeze along with a bright smile.

 

“We’ll wait here for them to show up then.  We should come up with a strategy, and the set up a watch schedule until they get here.  Shay, can you send a message to the others to keep watch stay alert, just in case the invaders try anything?” Shiro asked, snapping into leader mode almost instantly.  Shay nodded and pressed her hands to the ground, going silent while she spoke with her people.  Everyone else gathered around Shiro to formulate the plan when whoever was taking crystals showed up.

 

“I think we should spring a surprise attack.  We have the upper hand, so it should be easy to take them down,” Keith said, showcasing his “shoot first ask questions later” mentality.

 

“Foolish.  If this attacker is truly Prince Lotor, then he will have planned for any surprise attacks,” One of the masked Blades said bluntly.

 

“He’s right, Keith.  It’s also a pretty open area.  The nearest landmark we could use is the mountains, and they’re too jagged for us to get any real leverage,” Shiro agreed, trying to reason with Keith.

 

“I hate to interrupt this, but Rax said that he just saw the ship come into orbit,” Shay said, worry clear on her face.

 

“Alright.  Team, let’s find what cover we can and see what happens.  This may be a simple raider looking to make some GAC by selling off the crystals,” Coran said, his voice echoing through the helmets of the paladins.  All five of them nodded, and Lance turned to Keith.

 

“You guys should find some cover.  It might just be bandits, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” He said, forming his sniper rifle.

 

“Alright.  Take care of yourself, Sharpshooter,” Keith said, smiling playfully at Lance.

 

“You too, Samurai,” Lance shot back, a similar smile tugging at his lips.

 

The two teams used what cover they had, putting on masks and hoods to conceal identities as well.  As the ship, landed Keith stepped forward from his position.  It took only a second for those who had seen the ship before to recognize that as Prince Lotor’s ship.  Lance was a little ways away, using the scope on his sniper rifle to survey the ship.  Two of the four generals exited the ship and began plucking the crystals out from the ground.

 

“That’s definitely them.  What should we do now?” Hunk asked, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot.

 

“If they make an attack now, we’ll fight.  If not, we can use the Green Lion’s cloaking and follow the ship, to avoid hurting the Balmera,” Shiro responded, assessing the situation.

 

A flicker of movement off to the side caught Lance’s attention, and he swiveled his gun to it just in time to see another one of Lotor’s generals materialize, firing at Keith from behind.  “It’s a sneak attack!  Lotor knew we were here,” Lance said into his headset.  He saw the other Paladins come out of their hiding spots, and Hunk rushed towards where Keith was fighting with his attacker.  The final general came from the ship along with several robot sentries, and the fight truly began.

 

Pidge and Allura stayed close together, using their bayards against the largest of the four generals.  Shiro was using his hand against one, while Hunk and Keith fought the first attacker.  Lance looked for the last general and found her taking on the other two Blades. Lance kept an eye on the ship and made sure that nobody was being overwhelmed by the robots, taking them out when they got too close to someone.  He was providing some support for Shiro when he heard Hunk’s voice over his headset.

 

“Lance, Keith’s charging Lotor’s ship.  Can you cover him?” Hunk asked.

 

“Of course buddy,” Lance replied, swinging his gun to where the ship was settled.  He saw Keith charging forward, and watched his back.  When Keith didn’t stop running towards the ship, Lance asked for some cover and ran after him.  As he was running up, he was shouting after Keith, hoping his helmet wasn’t muffling him.

 

“Keith, what are you doing?” He asked, huffing as he took out a robot grabbing for him.

 

“I’m gonna take back the crystals from Lotor!  We can’t let him just steal from these people,” Keith replied, finally skidding to a halt, letting Lance catch up.

 

“We also can’t just rush onto our enemy’s ship without a plan, hothead,” Lance retorted, waving his free hand about.  Just then, another group of sentries emerged from the ship and advanced on Lance and Keith.  The two immediately stood with their backs together, argument briefly forgotten.  The handful of robots was quick work, and after they had disposed of them, Lance dragged Keith away from the ship.

 

“C’mon.  If we keep pushing at the generals, they’ll retreat,” Lance said, focusing his sights on the robots closest to Allura and Pidge.  Keith nodded and went to the other Blades. After a bit, the all four of their attackers perked their heads up and then ran towards the ship.

 

“We can’t let them get away, not again,” Keith muttered, a determined look on his face.  As they four retreated, Keith followed behind.  Lance stuck close to Keith, reading his intentions like a book.

 

“Keith.  Back down.  They’re leaving and-” Lance hadn’t even finished his warning when Keith leaped at the general with the ponytail-like appendage.  The blue-haired one saw his attack and slashed through the air with her sword, hitting him directly in the chest.  “KEITH!”  Lance called out, seeing the final general boarding the ship, cat perched on her shoulder as usual.  He rushed forward as soon as the ship was gone.  He looked at Keith, who had a fairly long slash against his chest.  He was still conscious, which Lance took as a good sign.  He helped Keith up and wrapped an arm around his waist as he carried Keith to the castleship, Which Coran had landed nearby. 

 

They all entered, and Shiro helped Lance carry Keith to the healing pods, taking his now ruined Blades of Marmora uniform off of him.  After he was healing, Shiro put a comforting hand on Lance’s shoulder.

 

“Great work out there, Lance.  You really helped us out by keeping those robots in check,” Shiro said, setting his helmet down on the step where Lance sat after making sure Keith was okay.  “I’m going to head back to the others.  Do you want to come?”

 

“I think I’ll stay here.  Coran said he should only be in there for a few vargas at most, and it’s nice to have someone here when you come out, you know?” Lance replied, voice sounding tired.

 

“Alright, buddy.  You know where to find me if you need me,” Shiro said, giving a knowing smile before heading to the dining area where everyone else waited.

 

“Oh, my! Are all of you okay?  Is anybody hurt?  Where are Keith and Lance?” Shay asked as soon as she saw Shiro.  The young girl was sitting next to Allura, who had her head resting on Shay’s shoulder as she dozed off.  Shay spoke quietly, so as not to disturb her sleeping princess.  

 

“We’re all fine now.  Keith’s healing from his injury and Lance is waiting for him.  Are your people okay?” Shiro asked, going into his diplomatic mindset.

 

“Yes.  We were lucky enough to have only seen a few robot guards, and they were easily taken care of,” she replied, nodding slightly. 

 

“Good.  I think we should stay here, at least until Keith is healed, and then we need a break,” Shiro said his weariness and concern for his former paladin and brother showing through.  

 

While talks of rest and healing were being had, Lance sat in front of Keith’s pod, his hand resting on his chin.  He was just as tired as everyone else, if not more so from the sudden burst of adrenaline after seeing Keith hurt.  Time seemed to pass begrudgingly slow, and Lance found himself slipping off to sleep every now and then, but refused to fall asleep until Keith was out of that pod and Lance knew he would be alright.  Who knows when they’ll see each other again after this anyway?

 

After what seemed like forever, the door to Keith’s healing pod hissed open.  Lance rushed forwards, catching Keith as he stumbled forwards.

 

“Hey, don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Lance said as Keith slowly woke up and took in his surroundings.

 

“Lance?  You waited for me to come out of there?” Keith asked, confusion in his voice.

 

“Of course I did.  I had to make sure you were okay.  Usually, when I find out you were hurt on a mission I don’t know how bad it was.  I have to keep an eye on you while I can,” Lance sadly replied.

 

“Why? It’s not like I need a babysitter,” Keith said, his usual personality returning.

 

“I know that.  I just worry about you.  You’re a teammate, even if you left Voltron, and I hate seeing my team hurt,” Lance deadpanned, all of his usual joking put aside.

 

“That’s… sweet of you,” Keith replied, uncertainty coloring his voice.

 

“Don’t act so surprised!  Despite the whole ‘rivalry’ thing I do, I don’t actually hate you.  You’re a really amazing pilot, and you’re way braver than me, even if that bravery gets you hurt,” Lance retorted, smiling softly at the end.

 

“You really think that about me?” Keith asked quietly.

 

“Of course I do!  You were the top student at the Garrison, you were able to pilot both Red and Black, and you fly the Blade’s ships like they aren’t super advanced alien technology.  But you also rush into danger, like you did today, and I hat when you do that.  I already lost you when you left Voltron, I don’t want to have to do it again…” Lance trailed off, moisture pricking at the corners of his eyes.

 

“Lost me?  You said yourself I’m still your teammate.  I’m confused,” Keith inquired, worry just starting to color his tone.

 

“I meant your… presence.  It’s not the same without you around.  I miss you, Keith,” Lance admitted, wringing his hands.

 

“I miss you too, Lance.  I miss all of you gu-” Keith started before Lance cut him off,

 

“No, like I miss seeing you and hearing your voice and even our stupid little arguments.  I didn’t really know why at first, but now I think I do…” Lance mumbled, staring at the ground.  He felt that first tear slip down his face, and before he knew it, he was full out crying.  He felt Keith’s arms wrap around him, almost like he was unsure of what he was doing.

 

“I miss you too, Lance.  I feel like I’m losing my mind with how quiet it always is.  You give so much life to any situation, and I feel really bad that it took me having to leave to realize that,” Keith said, strengthening his hold as he became surer of what he was saying.

 

“Are you kidding? It took you leaving to realize that I liked you as more than a friend.  How’s that for awful?” Lance laughed almost bitterly.

 

“Wait, what?”  Keith’s eyes widened at Lance’s previous statement.

 

“You heard me.  I really like you, Keith.  No point in hiding it, since I hardly ever actually see you,” He replied, shrugging his shoulders.

 

“Well it’s a good thing I really like you too then,” Keith said with a smile.

 

“I guess it is.  You wanna go join the others, let them know you’re okay?” Lance asked, reaching a hand out to Keith.  He took it but then sat down.

 

“Later.  First, I wanna spend some time with you, so I won’t miss you as much when I go,” Keith responded, looking away shyly.  Lance just sat down next to him, blushing like mad.

 

“Okay…” Lance said, resting his tired head on Keith’s shoulder.  “I have to warn you though, I might fall asleep on you,”

 

“I’m okay with that.  Any time with you is enough”

**Author's Note:**

> This was really fun to write, and it helped me get back into the swing of things too. I hope you enjoy this little story!


End file.
